Chapter 22: Uncle Ye, Who Grants Every Wish

The elderly woman wiped the tears from her face with both hands and mustered her spirits. “So I don’t want to appeal anymore.”

Outside, the sun blazed like fire, but inside the room, a chill assailed them. Jiang Xiaoyu lowered his head and rubbed the phone in his pants pocket—the money there was barely enough to keep him fed. He wanted to say they could file a civil lawsuit attached to the criminal case and get compensation. But time wouldn’t wait for anyone, and illness wouldn’t show mercy.

He drifted back to the Ye Residence like a lost soul. Chen Yiqu saw him like this and couldn’t help muttering to himself inwardly—what big thing had he run into? That lifeless look again, with his ears practically drooping down.

—

After that night, Ye Lian seemed to have fallen in love with this reading activity. During breaks in his office work, he pulled Jiang Xiaoyu into his arms and picked up another book.

But this little guy was clearly distracted, not even mustering his usual shyness, just slouching perfunctorily on his lap.

He flicked the cat’s head with his bent finger, his voice carrying a hazy amusement. “You’re the first one who’s ever disrespected me like this.” So many people longed to get close to him but couldn’t—yet here was a silly little thing who truly thought of himself as a cat.

“You can try relying on me a bit more.” Ye Lian pinched the cat’s ears. “It’s okay to act spoiled with Uncle too.”

The ears grew hotter and hotter. Finally, as Ye Lian wished, Jiang Xiaoyu felt embarrassed. He hurriedly dodged Ye Lian’s mischievous hand, not letting him continue kneading. With both paws pressed on the man’s firm thigh, through the smooth fabric, the pads felt a scorching, powerful heat.

This man’s body temperature was hot enough to burn. Just looking at his outward appearance, no one would associate him with such warmth. The muscles under his palm were tight and elastic. Unable to resist, he kneaded his paws a few times, and a purring sound escaped his mouth unconsciously.

Hearing the man’s short burst of laughter, he snapped awake in shock, leaped onto the desk with fur bristling, and stubbornly declared, “It’s totally normal for cats to do this!” He made excuses for his actions and, without reason, shoved the blame onto Ye Lian. “It’s all your fault! On such a hot day, your body temp is this high—it burned my paws and made them uncomfortable!”

Ye Lian didn’t call him out on it. He chuckled lightly, picked up a cigar, and held the damp end between his lips without lighting it. “Finally acting a bit like a cat. I’ve been worried seeing you so down these past few days, Uncle really has been concerned.”

His slender fingers struck two matches, the orange-yellow flames flickering at his fingertips, illuminating his amber eyes like a blaze at the sun’s core.

Ye Lian brought the cigar to his lips and took a deep drag. He lowered his head slightly, parted his lips, and slowly exhaled a wisp of grayish-blue smoke toward Jiang Xiaoyu.

Jiang Xiaoyu hated the smell of smoke. Back in his childhood home, it was always filled with the stench of Li Shouping’s cheap cigarettes, choking him to the point he could hardly breathe. But now, he surprisingly found a damp, rain-soaked pine wood scent mixed in, with rich leather notes lingering at his nose—like a gentle invitation, luring him step by step closer.

He felt a little dizzy, as if bewitched by the scent, and murmured lowly, “His name is Zhou Xu. He was a top student—Pine University is really hard to get into…” He spilled everything he knew about Zhou Xu. “But because they have no money for treatment, his family is planning to give up on the appeal.”

Ye Lian didn’t speak—of course he didn’t. Jiang Xiaoyu thought self-mockingly, why would anyone understand a cat’s meows?

The smoke swirled between them. He looked up and saw his own reflection in the man’s hazy, profound eyes.

“Little one, what do you want?” he asked.

Jiang Xiaoyu was a bit lost, unsure if he was confused by why he asked that or by the question itself. Truth be told, he hadn’t wanted to take this case at first.

Ye Lian seemed amused by his bewildered expression. He set the half-smoked cigar in the ashtray, his voice hoarse from the smoke. “Take your time to think. Uncle will listen.”

Jiang Xiaoyu’s gaze involuntarily fell on the cigar, where the mouthpiece still bore the dampness from Ye Lian’s lips. He panicked and looked away, not daring to glance at Ye Lian’s face anymore. He jumped off the desk and left the study.

The next day, when Jin Ge called, Jiang Xiaoyu unusually stared blankly at his vibrating watch, a bit afraid that picking up would mean hearing orders to stop investigating.

It wasn’t until Jin Ge called again that he finally answered.

“Did you go see Zhou Xu’s family?”

Jiang Xiaoyu thought he was about to get scolded. He pursed his lips and admitted sullenly, “Yeah.”

“Ha, they’ve decided to continue the appeal!” Jin Ge’s voice carried a note of satisfaction.

“Why?” Jiang Xiaoyu was slightly stunned, unsure what had changed the old man’s mind.

“Well…” Jin Ge paused. “This matter’s kinda connected to Ye Lian.”

Jiang Xiaoyu’s heart tightened. He lifted his head and hurriedly asked, “How’s it connected to him again?”

“Ye Corporation has a charitable foundation under it. They just signed a cooperation agreement with Pine City officials not long ago. The main goal is to aid families who’ve lost their only child in cases like this, providing legal aid and financial help. And by chance, they saw Zhou Xu’s case and decided to fund them.”

Jiang Xiaoyu couldn’t describe his feelings at that moment. Last night’s cigar scent seemed to creep back into his nose—that domineering, damp aura wrapping around those words “what do you want,” scrambling his brain into a mess. He didn’t know if it was coincidence or something else, but his heart pounded wildly, blood surging into it before collapsing intensely, then ‘bang’—pumping back to his extremities.

He was pumped up like he’d been injected with chicken blood, his green eyes sparkling. “So what do we do next!”

“It’s tricky. Based on the situation at the time, the victim’s cause of death was likely respiratory blockage from some allergic reaction. Plus, current domestic laws and judicial practices have huge gaps and ambiguities when it comes to male sexual assault crimes. With the other side’s maneuvering, it’s highly likely they’ll get convicted of negligence causing death instead of intentional murder.”

“Not to mention the four suspects in the case—three from local rich merchant families, and Shen Qie has a high-ranking dad…”

Jin Ge didn’t finish, but Jiang Xiaoyu got the picture. From the start, the real difficulty in this case wasn’t who the killer was, but who was behind the killer. Maybe Criminal Investigation had suspected someone early on but didn’t dare act rashly.

“If—I mean if…” Jiang Xiaoyu looked at the floor, where the copy of Crime and Punishment he’d swiped from Ye Lian’s study lay. “If I can get Ji Wangan to turn himself in, what happens?”

Jin Ge exhaled smoke. “Then Shen Qie is done for.”

—

Ye Lian stood on the top floor of the newly completed office building, overlooking the Industrial Park below through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“President Ye, I’ve already instructed the charity side to handle it.” Third Assistant hesitated before asking, “Bureau Chief Shen just called again—still declining?”

Ye Lian had been stringing Shen Qi along for a while. Half of Ye Corporation’s assets in the country had moved from Locust City to Pine City, but the most crucial part remained undecided. Securing Ye Corporation’s investment would be a major highlight in Shen Qi’s career. Third Assistant thought, no wonder he was hooked like a gaping fish without blowing up—Third Assistant had personally seen the blisters on his lips flare up and fade, fade and flare.

“What do you think?” Ye Lian chuckled lightly. “I’ll hear your opinion.”

Third Assistant—as the name implied, there were Special Assistant, First Assistant, and Second Assistant above him. He was quick-witted and smooth-tongued, which was why Special Assistant had assigned him to serve Ye Lian. But now, this clever Third Assistant was stared at by Ye Lian’s smiling eyes and suddenly blushed, stumbling over his words. “We’ve strung him along so long already, we sh-should give him some sweetness now, to bargain for better policy perks.”

“Indeed.” Ye Lian drawled. “You need to give a stick first, then a sweet date, to properly tame them.”

“Well said.” He hooked the corner of his mouth in a half-smile. “Go find Wang Chengzhi. Have him give you an extra month’s bonus.”

This man was too handsome. Third Assistant’s heart bubbled with pink joy, his cheeks flushing as he bowed. “Thank you, President Ye.”

Leaving the president’s office, he was still buzzing with excitement, feeling like he’d caught Ye Lian’s eye and left a mark in his heart. In front of Special Assistant, he couldn’t hide his brag. “Bro Wang, President Ye said I’m getting an extra month’s bonus this month.”

Wang Chengzhi pushed up his glasses and signaled to First Assistant beside him. “Take him to HR.”

First Assistant nodded knowingly. “Let’s go. If you hurry, you can pack your bags before the end of the day.”

Third Assistant was dumbfounded, clueless until he got the termination notice.

Wang Chengzhi knocked on the president’s office door with the files. After getting permission to enter, he handed the investigated info to Ye Lian. “Boss, Jiang Xiaoyu’s background is all here. Some parts have high confidentiality levels I couldn’t access. If you want to keep digging, we’ll need to contact the higher-ups.”

“No need.” Ye Lian’s eyes curved. “I want the little one to tell me himself.”

The man in the afterglow was like a deity—always refined and restrained, standing at the pinnacle of power, coldly overlooking the masses below. He would say ‘I’ll hear what you think’ or ‘I’ll hear your opinion’ because it didn’t matter; his decision was already made. You just needed to comprehend it and execute.

This was the first time Wang Chengzhi had heard him say he wanted to hear from a mortal.

“Then I’ll directly reject the investment attraction side.” He tested. Ye Corporation had been seeking maximum government support after all—the new energy sector was their key strategic direction for the next few years. Shen Qi dared to play hardball with Ye Lian over tax incentives because of that.

“You’ve got guts.” Ye Lian laughed. “No need to tangle with Bureau Chief Shen anymore. It won’t be long before that seat changes hands.”

Wang Chengzhi suppressed the shock in his heart. “I understand.” He sized up Ye Lian’s expression and said cautiously, “Master, I’ve already contacted Miss Zhao Xiaoting as you instructed before, but she has little desire to return to Ink Orchid Mansion.”

After all, she was wrongly accused and then fired—who wouldn’t think this main household wasn’t worth returning to? It’s all about slaving away like an ox or horse; it’s the same wherever you go. Wang Chengzhi grumbled inwardly.

“A lack of strong desire still means there is some desire.” Ye Lian didn’t even glance back at him, merely saying indifferently, “Since the little one mentioned her a few days ago, find a way to bring her back.”